


Pair of Kings

by TheWildJoker



Category: Joker Game (Anime)
Genre: Hatano joins the party, He's a big boy now, New face, Odagiri isn't so lonely any more, Odagiri's very first undercover mission, Tags will update as chapters are posted
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-11
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-07-22 21:36:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7454752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWildJoker/pseuds/TheWildJoker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The year is 1943, Odagiri finds himself outside a bustling, thriving Shanghai. Now that he is no longer fit to serve on the battle field the army lieutenant colonel uses his history at the D-Agency to help them catch and arrest an errant drug lord who’s been selling Japanese secrets to the enemies. His job is to infiltrate the mastermind’s hideout by any means necessary, but will an old face shake his reason to go through with his assignment?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Mission

The hustle and bustle of Shanghai came as a surprise to Odagiri when he stepped off the boat.

 It was astounding to him because he had yet to be stationed anywhere that showed even a glimpse of life. It was like he had stepped into an alternate dimension where people went about their daily lives as usual, the thought of war plaguing none of them.

But Odagiri couldn't be so helplessly blinded by the nativity that there wasn't war raging around them, that thousands if not millions of soldiers were being killed by the day. He couldn't be innocent because he had seen it firsthand himself, and he was lucky that he was even here today, breathing and alive.

_The blood of his allies and enemies alike spattered the battle field, screams of terror and pain filled the air, a man to Odagiri’s right had lost his arm in an explosion and was cradling it to himself as he yelled out in immense pain. Odagiri turned his head for a brief moment to survey the ridge ahead when the yells stopped. Immediately his head spun around to see the man’s now lifeless body, a bullet square to the head shut him up in seconds._

_At least he tasted sweet peace now._

_As Odagiri's ears re-listened to the sounds around him, he heard commands being barked all around him. English mixed with French mixed with Japanese mixed with German filled the air. It was confusing to Odagiri because he understood all these languages and could make out each and every sentence unnervingly well._

_It muddled him as to what orders he should be listening to and which ones to throw away. It was like a garbled mess of blackness that over took Odagiri, and in that moment of confusion an enemy soldier had spotted him. It took them seconds to aim their rifle and fire. The shot rang out amongst the gunfire and screams, Odagiri only had an instant to realize what had happened before he fell to his knees, his eyelids felt like sandbags as he struggled to stay awake. The sand won as his conscious slipped from him and his lifeless body then fell to the ground. The once immaculately white, snowy field was now drenched in red, sticky blood._

When Odagiri opened his eyes he was met by white.

_Ah, so this was what heaven was like_. But as the ringing in his ears died down he was thrown into the harsh reality that he was still alive. His skin burning was the first sensation that hit him as he screamed loudly at the searing, crackling pain that filled his lungs.

Apparently he had alerted a nurse to his sudden revival as she rushed toward the bed with a syringe and a glass of water in either hand. "Please mister Hiroyuki, calm down, you're alright, you're safe." Although her words were meant to be soothing Odagiri's mind was transported to those of his colleagues. Were they alright? How many were still out there fighting? Were any of them still out there fighting?

The sudden sting of a needle being thrust into his arm brought him back to the harsh grips of reality, a loud grunt left his lips as he glared at the young nurse. In that moment he also noticed he was no longer wearing a shirt and a large white, well he assumed it used to be white before the blood soaked it a deep ominous red, bandage covered his muscled stomach.

"This is to help with the pain, I wish I could be gentler but this is the easiest way to get it into your blood stream fast." Like the explanation made him feel any better, slowly Odagiri eased himself up, but was halted by the nurse. "You can't leave mister Hiroyuki. Your wounds are not healed properly, and you're no longer able to be on the front lines."

Those words stabbed Odagiri like a knife as he reeled for a moment. "You don't have the authority to tell me that I can't go back." Odagiri hissed at the girl who shrunk back in slight fear.

"She may not, but I do." Odagiri's eyes widened as a man with silver gray hair flicked through his mind, the image of him being projected on the other man for a moment before fading away, leaving behind the general of Odagiri's unit.

His hair wasn't grey by any means but instead it was dark brown. It wasn't slicked back and he didn't walk with a cane or wear a white glove on his right hand. He wasn't here to give Odagiri conditioning or a scolding, it was just a regular man dressed up to play the role of someone acting like they were in charge.

"You look like you've seen a ghost Hiroyuki. Should I be more concerned about your head than that gaping wound in your side?" Odagiri dismissed the comment with a grind of his teeth. So that’s what had landed him here.

"You shouldn't be concerned at all. Now explain to me why I'm no longer fit to go back into battle." It was how Odagiri wanted it all to end he had made peace with the fact he was going to die. He wouldn't be an exception.

Ah, how Yuuki would have laughed in his face if he saw him now.

"I thought the pain you're feeling would be enough to deter any man from the thought of returning to a hell like that, I'm sorry to see that you were one of the ones willing to die." It was like he was feeling sympathy for a man who had been apathetic his whole life. Well not exactly his whole life, there had been the sister like women who had raised him and...

Odagiri quickly pushed those thoughts away, that person was long dead to him. He had left everything behind when he had become a soldier. He had shut himself off completely to emotion he didn't even partake in any of the women that had been so welcoming when they rolled into their town.

Sympathisers, supporters and friendly faces, he couldn't indulge in any of it, his emotions were severed. He'd go into the bars with his comrades sure, he'd drink and smoke and then retire to bed. No woman around his arm, no warm body to wake to the morning after, it was just cold empty solitude for the lieutenant.

It’s how he earned up with the nickname dark heart.

Odagiri would have been annoyed with how often that nickname was brought up, but it only brought amusement to him. They didn't know his past, they didn't know what he gave up to become what he was today, and they didn't know he had indeed loved.

His eyes refocused on his leader’s figure, when he realized he had been spacing out for quite some time.

"If it's for our countries secured victory I would do it in a heartbeat, sir." The tone had the generals’ eyebrows screwing into disapproval.

"You should care more for yourself Hiroyuki. The colonel sure does. He has a special mission for you when your wounds heal. Even I don't know what it is. Something top secret, and if you weren't my underling it would piss me off to no end. But since you're such a capable solider I'll let you rest for two weeks. Once you're healed meet me at the Osaka train station at o'eight hundred, understood solider?"

Odagiri nodded.

"Yes sir."

-

Two weeks later Odagiri stood waiting in the cold, bitter December air. His coat was bundled a lot looser than some of the others standing around him. Even though Odagiri had slightly lost his touch with the cold chill during his stay at the hospital in Osaka, it wasn't enough to dull all the months, years, in Russia. This made their winters look like child's play in the ruthless Russians eyes.

Those eyes he had seen turn lifeless and dull by his hands.

Odagiri had to stop himself from triggering more unpleasant memories as he tried to focus on the task at hand. He was waiting for Shigehiro to meet him here, awaiting orders that he doubted he would be happy to hear. If anything the army colonel was a sinister man, he enjoyed watching pain and suffering, it was no secret to their enemies that the Japanese were always unpredictable, the army colonel was even more so.

He would throw away lives like they were nothing, he had no shame, no empathy and especially no remorse, and if you were a soldier in the imperial Japanese army in his eyes you were sentenced to die. There were no loop holes. Except apparently in Odagiri's case, his fingers twitched as he was transported back to this morning.

_Odagiri stared at himself in the full length mirror for at least fifteen minutes. His eyes and fingers trailed up the large silver scar that mudded his perfect skin. The fingers moved from the base of his hip all the way up to his chest, he traced the marred skin in the middle, slivers of where the bullet hit could be seen from the way the scar tracked. It was the only blemish on his toned body, granted he wasn't as toned as he used to be considering he had been bed ridden for at least a week, if not more. Odagiri lost count after the second day out of pure boredom._

_He let out a small sigh. No use dwelling on it now, it wasn't like he was going to meet someone on his new task and was going to and fall in love. No one could love a monster like him anyway…_

_So with that resolve Odagiri got dressed and left the apartment the army had supplied him with forever._

He had to remind himself to remain ramrod straight, he didn't want to draw attention to the fact he had been injured. Even though his fingers twitched to touch and remind himself that he hadn’t in fact been immortal. That he had almost died.

"I said to meet on the west side." Shigehiro hissed appearing to his left clearly disgruntled, apparently he had been running and looking everywhere for Odagiri.

"You never said west side, you said simply to meet you here, are you sure I shouldn't be worried about _your_ mental capabilities." Yes, Odagiri hated Shigehiro, but only because he was pompous and stuck up and basically thought he was the man of the universe. He wished the colonel would just kill off this little rat already.

With a huff Shigehiro just stood beside Odagiri. "I really don't know what's so special about you, when the lieutenant colonel has someone as great as me," _incompetent as you._ "on his side and he chooses _you_? What a waste." His hands shot out in disgust as Odagiri continued his poker face to hide the fact he was very much unhappy with the fact he had to spend the next three hours on a train with this jackass.

-

Three hours later and Odagiri was ready to strangle Shigehiro. He had spent most of the ride talking about himself and his conquests that Odagiri had absolutely zero interest in, and of course he tried to rub the salt into his wounds by laughing when Odagiri said he hadn't had sexual intercourse in years. It didn't faze Odagiri as much as it irritated him. How was this man still alive? It baffled him to no end.

But now that he was off that god forsaken train Odagiri was a lot less agitated. Apparently Fukuoka was where the colonel was basing operations out of, or so Odagiri guessed since that's where they ended up.  He assumed it was because Fukuoka was a port town and would be easy to flee from if the need for it arises.

"Come on." A shove to his back had Odagiri gritting his teeth again. He hoped to everything holy that he would never have to see this man again after today.

Odagiri shoved his hands in his pockets of his slacks as he followed the other into town.

They arrived at a plain white bricked shop some time later, the bricks of course were freshly painted and kept in perfect standing, the smell of paint fumes wafted in through Odagiri's nose, causing him to stifle a cough from how overpowering it all was. Flowers were strewn about the store front, benches, tables and windowsills were decorated in them. Odagiri could only guess this was a front for the main headquarters that lay below.

 A flower shop, unsuspecting and quaint, the enemy if they got this far would never think to look here. Or that’s what he’d like to believe. He had seen ransacking before, he had seen village razed no house or store was safe from anyone.

The only thing that would be left of the flower shop if the enemy attacked would be a single white petal floating from the ashes of the newly burnt down building.

The door chiming shifted Odagiri's thoughts as he and Shigehiro walked inside, the women behind the counter smiled brightly welcoming them warmly. "The weather is cold out today." The women continued to smile as she walked behind the counter. "It would do you well to bundle up today." It was like she was reciting something couldn't the army pick anyone better? She was a horrible actress.

"The snow is coming." As Shigehiro recited those words a soft hum sounded around them, Odagiri pinpointed the sounds source immediately, a bookshelf to the women's right had shifted over to reveal a secret stairway leading underground. Odagiri called that.

The mechanism seemed to be rather complex as Odagiri eyeballed it while he and Shigehiro descended downwards.  Two large cogs moved the door alone while smaller ones were used as support to close the secret room. But he was definitely reading too much into this since he was no longer a spy. What did he care about mechanisms? So without another look back at the cogs he continued forward.

It didn’t take them long to reach the colonel’s office. Well Odagiri assumed they were getting close what with the sudden transition in decor being so apparent. The dreary basement turned into a bright, inviting hallway lined with gas lamps, covered with tubular glass to keep the fire contained, the basement was trimmed to the ceilings with lavish gold’s and reds, tassels were hung from every corner. Couches and lounges lined the walls, vases on stands with flowers were thrown into the mix as well. It was like the colonel was prepared to live down here for the rest of the war.

Which would be the smartest idea considering the well being of Fukuoka should be secure, but you never knew in times of war. People deceived, lied and cheated their way to the top. Hell Fukuoka could be bombed tomorrow if that’s what the enemy truly wanted.

As Odagiri was in his own little world Shigehiro had led him to two giant oak doors, intricate carvings of Japanese samurai and warriors decorated the surface of the door. The colonel really didn’t care about money did he?

“Enter.” The army colonel of course was a man of few words. Words built character after all and if you only used them few and far between than no one could get a gauge on your actual self. It was really scary to be honest, and of course Odagiri was intimidated by the man.

One thing he was never when he was around his old colonel.

“Sir I brought you lieutenant Hiroyuki as you requested.” The lieutenant colonel just nodded.

“Leave us.” Shigehiro nodded and left the room, he looked like a dog with his tail between his legs. It was a good look on the other, oh how Odagiri wished he was in a higher position, he would have gotten rid of that one so fast it was like he was a hot potato.

“Tobisaki.” Odagiri visibly flinched at his given name spoken by the monster himself. It was like his veins had been doused in ice. Even the lightly lit room thanks to the gas lamps didn’t warm him. It was like he was surrounded by wisps of cold ice threatening to swallow him up. It all manifesting itself from the army colonel himself.

“I have a very special task for you. It is to remain secret, if you tell anyone of this mission I will personally kill you myself.” The funny thing was Odagiri knew he wasn’t joking. He had seen the colonel kill before.

“I will do whatever you ask of me.” His sentence was clipped but he too didn’t want to reveal much to the other, not that it would help since he had his file. His file chalk full of his past, his home life, his adoptive mother, his life as a spy….

“This is why you always have value Tobisaki, you never back down from a challenge, and it really is refreshing to have a solider like you in our ranks.” Odagiri couldn’t even smile at that compliment, if it even was one.

“Thank you, sir. But if I may ask, what task are you giving to me?” The colonel’s scarred lips turned upwards.

“An excellent question! You Tobisaki are to infiltrate Shanghai, more specifically a drug lord’s hideout. He has become a problem as of late, you see he has information on the whole of Japan and I’m not happy that he’s spreading it to the enemy for a price. It sickness me to know there are people like this snake still out there. So after you infiltrate and find this man, you’re to arrest him. Bring him back to the Shanghai police headquarters where I will deal with him personally myself.”

Odagiri knew what that meant. Death wouldn’t be something the other man would taste so quickly. He would be tortured extensively, starved and used to grab information from, then when he ran out of use his neck would be slit and he would bleed to death.

“Here are the papers and information we have on him.” The colonel chucked an almost empty file folder onto the table. Odagiri had to refrain from scrunching his eyebrows together in irritation, how was he supposed to go and find a man on this little information?

“Excuse me.” Odagiri walked toward the large, mammoth sized desk to grab the file. Once in hand he leafed through it. Immediately he noticed the most critical piece of information missing.

“Sir, where is the photo of this man?”

The colonel barked out in laughter.

After his laughter died down he spoke. “This man is a ghost no one has ever seen his face and lived. This is why you’re so crucial to us Tobisaki, your old way of thinking may come in handy. I mean you were a spy. I’m sure you can put the pieces together by now. What was the saying of that agency again? Ah, yes. _‘Don’t die, don’t kill.’_

Odagiri bristled at the mention of the motto Yuuki had drilled into their brains. It was something the ex-spy had always been plagued by when he had given up on life. Yuuki’s face would flash on the back of his eyelids whenever he closed his eyes, like he was mocking him for giving up on his precious life and his spy way of thinking.

But really Yuuki was just being hypocritical. Odagiri of course had heard about Miyoshi, how the other had died in a freak accident. His heart had ached, and with no one to give him closure about it he was still slightly hurt about the whole thing. It just went to show that even Yuuki couldn’t control everything that happened to his spies. 

Life was truly cruel.

“You are going to be the key to this whole thing, Tobisaki.” The eerie smile followed by the yellow teeth almost put Odagiri on edge. But he stood his ground.

“When do I leave?”

“Tomorrow at o’six hundred, an oil tanker will be your way of transport the Marigold is its name. Find it and board it, your information is in that file I gave to you. It’s your golden ticket into Shanghai. I wish you luck Ran Akabane.”

-

Odagiri used that night to review his disguise, thankfully it was a fairly simple one. Ran Akabane had been a long time fisherman and now he was looking to settle down in Shanghai, build a home and raise a family. His parents had passed a long time ago leaving him as a lone child, he had found his freedom on the open sea, and he loved it until an injury to his left shoulder caused him to no longer be able to cast or reel in the heavy pots or nets. He resigned when he felt the weight of being unable to perform something he loved became too much.

-

The next morning Odagiri was packed and ready to leave, the oil tanker was to depart on schedule thankfully. He placed his hat atop his head, giving the apartment one final check over. Once satisfied he had left no trace of himself behind, Odagiri left. 

 

The Marigold was easy to spot. It was a  _large_ oil tanker, it was the biggest ship Odagiri had ever seen. He eyed the boat for a moment more before hiking his heavy boxed suitcase up into a more comfortable hold before approaching the walkway up to the ship.

Odagiri would have appreciated the trip more, if he hadn't gotten seasick as soon as they left dock. 

This was going to be a long boat ride.

-

Thankfully as they neared port Odagiri’s symptoms seemed to subside and he was able to enjoy the cool breeze port side, lounged on a white wicker chair, reading that mornings paper before they docked.

Once they docked the captain asked women and children to leave the ship first which gave Odagiri the chance to take a survey of what he was walking into. He peered over the stern of the ship, noticing the stalls of vendors below made his eyebrows raise. He had never seen stalls this close to the port before, if anything the sales men or women should be worried that the enemy would arrive at any moment.

But it didn’t seem to be the case here, they were all smiles and friendly greetings as he watched them curiously. This really was another world. It was baffling to see people so oblivious to what was going on around them it would have been amusing if war wasn’t so horrible.

The captain then announced for the rest of the passengers to head to the ramp to get off the boat.

Odagiri grabbed his suitcase that was resting near his feet, he hiked it up before walking off to pile himself in with the masses leaving the Marigold.

The ramp shifted shifted suddenly startling Odagiri and causing him to waffle his suitcase for a moment. 

“Here, let me help you with that.” A man reached out and grabbed Odagiri’s luggage before he could save it himself.

“No that’s perfectly alright. Just hand me back my luggage.” He didn’t tack on the please because he was pissed at the man. Who did he think he was a some weak man?

“Alright, alright I was just trying to help.” The man offered the boxed suitcase back to him.

With a growl, Odagiri snatched his luggage from the male, giving him a death glare before walking off in a huff.

People, he really did hate them. It was why the battlefield was so easy for him he didn’t know soldiers long enough to get really chummy anyone.

Once he was far enough away from the port Odagiri slipped a hand into his coat pocket to bring out a folded piece of white paper. He unfolded it carefully trying to crease the wrinkled paper so he could read it better. But it was being stubborn and decided to stay wrinkled because of the amount of time it had been in his pocket.

Two days and three minutes to be exact but who was counting?

He finally got it to be at least legible and followed the directions written on the sheet to his new apartment where he would be living under his guise. Odagiri just hoped he had quiet neighbours.

As he rounded the corner the large skyscraper came into view.

Great.

Why couldn’t this man be in Japan? It would have made things that much easier, he could have been in an apartment much more comfortable than this one that he was staring at but he digressed, swallowed his pride and continued on.

Odagiri was worried that no one there would know Japanese and only knew Chinese, he had yet to brush up on it since he was distracted with how to infiltrate the drug lords hide out. But thankfully for Odagiri the land lady knew Japanese, she was very kind and helped him to his room on the second floor. 

She made sure Odagiri knew of all the amenity times of the apartment complex, because apparently they locked the elevators and snack bar at night. She also told him the best placed to eat and places where people spoke Japanese. Once she was satisfied with her schpeel she handed Odagiri his keys, bowed and left him wishing him a good evening.

Odagiri wished her one back before stalling in front of his door, taking it all in. He then slotted the key into its place, turned it and unlocked his front door.

The apartment thankfully was of Japanese style it was a small studio block which made Odagiri very happy. It was dirt cheap and he doubted he’d be spending a lot of time inside anyway.

Odagiri toed his shoes off, leaving them on a plastic mat by the door, underneath hooks for his coats or his friends coats. He snorted at that and continued on down the small hallway.

He peered into the living room and kitchen area. It was quaint to say the least. There was a large glass bay window with heavy shutters on either side. Odagiri figured it was because the sun rose from that side and the rays would be very intense in the mornings. He was glad at least the last attendants had left the curtains as a mercy to him.

Odagiri however got this sinking feeling that he wasn’t alone at the moment, so subconsciously he swept for bugs or video devices.

All the while he took memory of his home. He had a small kitchenette complete with stove and fridge. Although the egg shell blue wasn’t to his tastes Odagiri could live with it.

His movements led him to a decent sized sitting area one lone couch was all he had to his name, not that it mattered much, Odagiri doubted he’d be lazing on it at all. In all honesty he wanted to get this mission over with in less than a month. He could than return home and look for a wife.

Odagiri had to supress a snort at that. He doubted any woman would want a man with a giant scar running up his side the only one that would accept him now was…

Shaking his head Odagiri strode up toward the wooden stairwell, he took them two at a time which quickly lead him to a hallway, he hung a left to the bathroom which was the colour of cream, a small rectangular window allowed rays of sunlight to shine into the room when the sun was at that side of the apartment. The orange, red streaks told Odagiri he’d get no work on the drug lord done tonight, it was late as it was and Odagiri didn’t have the mental strength to go pretend to be a man he was not.

Not when he had to listen to Shigehiro for three hours. That alone had drained him, his tank now on empty.

His eyes scanned more of the room after that mental lapse, the shower head was hooked to the side of the brown tiled wall, a drain at his feet, no tub, but a toilet and sink were made available for him. He swept the bathroom thoroughly, checking behind mirrors the toilet, in the top of said toilet. He really was worried that he had already been found out to be honest.

Odagiri didn’t want his disguise compromised and then he’d have to either flee the country or worse.

Torture was one thing Odagiri hated more than anything. He’d seen it done. He’d seen the way his comrades’ eyes turned dark with the greed to continue causing pain to their enemies.

Odagiri never wanted to see a man look that way to him.

Once satisfied with his sweep of the bathroom, Odagiri than moved to his bedroom, the sliding fusuma moved along the tracks easily, much to Odagiri’s relief. He didn’t want to break the creamy white rice paper that was the only way he had privacy if he had guests.

He rolled his eyes at that, guests? Yeah, right.

The mat underneath his feet was the colour of sunflowers, the rectangle piece cut perfectly to fit the room. The closet to his left would store his clothes and his futon when he wasn’t using it. The walls were a bland white and a gas lamp hung in the middle of the room to allow him light for nights when he needed it. He then left the room.

Odagiri being paranoid since he had never gone undercover before gave the apartment one final sweep.

Once Odagiri was sure there wasn’t anything in his apartment but himself, he made his way back downstairs, seeing as he had finished sweeping upstairs last. Once down in his living room Odagiri noticed it was now night and the lights of the city glowed ominously in front of him, he quickly drew the curtains closed, his finger flicking the light switch on for the gas lamp that hung over his table.

He approached the small card table, pulled out the wooden chair and took a seat. Odagiri then drew out all the documents he had in his suitcase and got down to reviewing and formulating a plan in his mind for the mission ahead. His plan to keep Ran Akabane safe.


	2. Silver Dragon

Odagiri awoke with a start.

 “Well then why don’t you find someone better to love you!” His neighbours he assumed since the slam of a door could be heard from his right. Lovely a married couple who fought a lot lived next door, maybe this is why this unit was never rented for long.

With a tired sighed he threw himself back onto his futon. Well this wasn’t an ideal start to his morning, and with a look to his watch it also wasn’t the ideal time to get up either. But since he had no food in his house and had read that Shanghai afternoons could be the equivalent of death, Odagiri decided he’d rather risk going out earlier in the day than later.

After a few more moments more of feigned sleep Odagiri rose to a sitting position, he stretched a few times to get rid of any access sleep plaguing him before actually stood up.

His routine was a simple one; put the futon away neatly, dress for the day, fiddle with his tie until he couldn’t take it anymore and just went without it, walk to his bathroom to brush his teeth, comb his hair back, style it with gel and then head to the kitchen to at least have a cup of coffee to try and shake more of the sleep out of his system before braving the crowds of the city.

Thankfully it didn’t seem too bad this morning as Odagiri maneuvered through the sea of people almost expertly. Apparently eight o’clock in the morning was prime time to get things done. It also helped that the land lady last night had been very helpful in pointing him toward a food stall run by a man in his late forties who spoke fluent Japanese.

“It’s nice to see a new face around here, especially one of Japanese ethnicity. Don’t have many of you coming over here anymore.” The store keep mused as he bagged the things Odagiri had bought to sustain himself for a little while.

“I was a fortunate one. I suppose. My arm was broken a long time ago and it’s never healed properly so I could never work as a solider.” He sighed as a sign of relief and grief. “I felt useless to the military so perhaps this is me just running away from my problems.”

The older man gave him an almost toothless smile. “We all have problems to run away from my boy. Yours is a lot simpler than many others. I just wish you luck in finding what you need here in Shanghai.” Odagiri couldn’t help but smile politely at that.

“I hope so too.” He bowed to the shop keep before walking off into the crowds again. With all his essentials now Odagiri knew he needed to get back home, it was starting to get busier and he had forgotten to wear his disguise. Another stupid mistake and again Yuuki’s face flashed behind his eyelids as he blinked. Mocking him. Daring him to continue making these mistakes, Odagiri clenched his fists around the bags of groceries as he continued on.

Once back inside his air conditioned unit Odagiri made sure to lock the doors tightly behind him before he made himself busy with putting his groceries away. He had cabinets designated for everything, breakfast items, lunch items, dinner items, snacks, and most importantly a miscellaneous cabinet filed with cigarettes, alcohol and guns.

One could never be too careful.

However Odagiri left that last cabinet locked up tight, the only key was on his person at all times and there was a few security measures in place so Odagiri would know when someone busted into it. He was organized as well as thorough, a praiseworthy set of skills Yuuki always commended him for.

With a loud growl Odagiri’s stomach alerted him to the fact he had yet to eat and the vendors selling delicious smelling breads and meats were not helping his hunger issues. Deciding to fix this Odagiri took out his eggs, bread and a few vegetables.

Omelette it was.

After he finished eating and read through most of the contents of today’s newspaper Odagiri stood. He figured he should review a few more things over the case file and practice a bit of Chinese before he started his mission tonight at  _‘The Silver Dragon’_.

Night in Shanghai was apparently the most dangerous since all kinds came out then. Pickpockets, creeps, street performers, you name it this city has it. Thankfully as of late there haven’t been any more murders since the murder of the man who had overstepped his boundaries with this errant drug lord.

So that was one good sign that Odagiri would at least survive the night. At least he hoped to. Ran Akabane wouldn’t be a man targeted right off the bat, he would be a normal looking civilian nothing extra special about him. His hair would be slightly messy and parted down the middle, his bangs would cover most of his face since he hadn’t had a haircut in a long time. His eye coloured contacts would be slightly lighter than his own shade since brown was the only colour of eye that wouldn’t draw attention to yourself. 

Odagiri would stuff cotton rolls into his mouth to make it sound as if he had a slight lisp and change the shape of his cheek bones slightly, he would cast his lids lower than usual trying to imitate Hatano which he had done many times before pulling laughs from quite a few of his D-agency comrades.

He had to shake that thought away though as soon as it came to him, Odagiri wasn’t a spy. Not anymore. This was a mission, he was to go undercover sure and that meant calling on some of his training but that didn’t mean he was going to see any of the others again.

No. He was never going to see them again because they all hated him.

-

After a few hours of review and studying Odagiri stretched, deciding it was time for a break. Studying alone was by no means fun but he swallowed that bitter thought down and did what he could, besides Ran Akabane wasn’t supposed to be fluent in Chinese anyway he had just gotten here from Japan and had no ties to the country of China in any way ship or form, so it would be suspicious if he knew the language so well.

Besides this worked to his advantage since this was another way he could get information from people at the bar, pretending to be an uneducated man living in a big city. People loved to rub their knowledge in others faces so why not use that as an advantage when investigating? Odagiri just hoped he met someone there who knew Japanese as well. It would make things a lot easier.

-

The silver dragon was a lot more intimidating in person than in photos. The photograph unable to capture the sinister nature of the bar as it wafted around Odagiri in droves.

The outside was lit up like a Christmas tree, neon lights blared the name like a beacon in the night, the yellow glow of the sign looking eerie within the fog that had settled on the city.

Like this mission needed more atmosphere.

A dragon wound around the bar name, every inch of artistic finesse went into that piece, like the artist spent months pouring his or her soul into creating something that was immensely eye catching. Although they were in Chinese characters Odagiri could still feel the intimidation radiating off the name Silver Dragon.

Odagiri surveyed the area once more before gathering his wits and facing the two tall bouncers at the front door.

“I.D.” The taller one asked, voice gruff and uninterested like this was the only sentence he was ever allowed to say. Odagiri quickly showed him his forged driver’s license.

The bouncer looked him up and down, like he was amused. “Next.” Odagiri took a moment to figure out that that meant he was allowed to proceed, stuffing his hands inside his pockets, Odagiri walked nonchalantly inside.

As he removed the curtain to reveal the bar he then realized how under dressed he was for this place.

People in their best attire littered the room, women wearing assortments of different coloured dresses and men in suits as fancy as their gold watches around their wrists.

Odagiri looked down at his grey vest, white shirt that had the top two buttons undone, slacks that were also gray and a pair of brown loafers. Silently he cursed at how little Intel he was given.

He was sticking out like a sore thumb!

Deciding it was best to just move to the bar and try to not draw too much attention to himself by being hidden among the alcohol consumers there Odagiri moved toward the polished counter-top.

The bartender gave him the same treatment as the bouncers, his eyes sparkling in amusement as he took in Odagiri’s attire. “You’re not from around here are you?” The man grinned as Odagiri looked at him sheepishly behind lidded eyes.

“How could you tell?”

“Most know of this rather popular bars dress code. I’m surprised Kioshi let you in, he must have been amused. Sorry guy but I think you’ll be the butt of a joke for a while.” Odagiri shrugged that comment off in good humour.

“You can’t blame a guy when he literally just moved here not even twenty four hours ago.” Thank god the bartender was apparently fluent in Japanese, but it was also a shame that a commoner could picked up Odagiri's nationality that quickly.

“True enough, what will it be under-dressed?” Odagiri laughed at that, the bartender looking smug.

“Whiskey on the rocks, please.” The smirk on the bartender only grew.

“At least you drink properly for a Japanese.” Odagiri didn’t comment on that as he looked around the bar like he was curious about the interior. When in reality he was checking for clues or suspicious people. When he came up empty his eyes settled back onto the polished counter top.

“One whiskey on the rocks. This ones on the house considering you gave me a good laugh tonight.”

“As long as it’s over something small like this, I’m fine being laughed at.” Odagiri cupped the glass in his hand, shaking around the ice, making it seem like he was mulling something over.

He could feel the bartenders’ eyes still on him the man's mouth opening to say more when a jacket was thrown over haphazardly over Odagiri’s shoulders. “I’ll have what he’s having.”

As Odagiri’s eyes trailed up to look at the man he froze, his veins running cold. There was no way.

Standing not two feet in front of him was Fukumoto.

No, it couldn’t be him, his voice was different and he wasn’t as tall as the other. But there were startling similarities. His nose was long, his black hair was styled  _exactly_ like his ex-spy friend. Although his expression was much more expressive than Fukumoto’s could ever be and his eyes were brown not the gray brown Odagiri was used to.

“Staring is nice but I feel like you’ve seen a ghost.” The man spoke again, his voice snapping Odagiri out of his revere of thoughts.

“Sorry, I guess you could say that.” He took a long drink of his whiskey. Tonight was going to be a long one.

“Your Chinese is terrible,” Odagiri flinched at that but then realized the man had switched to Japanese,  “I figured you were Japanese but I had to make sure. Thankfully I spent some time over there a couple years ago, the name’s Toru, yours?” That put any and all worry that this was actually Fukumoto to rest. The other would never lie to him if he saw him again, none the less be this friendly to him.

“Ran.” He shook the extended hand as the man seated himself down on the other bar stool beside him. Stretching his arms back as he did so, judging from the stretch it seemed like he had been standing for a while. His face then turned to Odagiri.

“So Ran, what’s your story. Not that I want to be nosy, I just think hearing people talk about their pasts bring others closer.” That smile certainly would have been infectious if Odagiri was one to smile ever.

“There’s not much to tell I’m afraid.” Toru looked perturbed at that.

“Come onnnnn! No one’s story is boring, so c’mon let me have it.” With a soft sigh Odagiri straightened himself back out and spoke.

“I was a fisherman for quite some time, really good at the trade. I fell in love with it. Until one night a storm hit the boat and I crashed into a mast hard. My left shoulder was the causality. The doctors said that it would never truly be fixed and they doubted I could lift anything heavier than grocery bags. I found that out the hard way when I tried to lift a crab pot and nearly buckled over in pain. Thus ends my fishing career, and what landed me here, I’m no good to Japan at this point and I’d rather settle down with a good wife and start a family of my own.”

Every word Odagiri spewed was a lie, well except the last bit he really did want to settle down. The gender of his spouse not mattering really all that much. Man or woman he found he liked them equally.

“That’s such a tragic story. I’m so sorry.” Odagiri waved him off. The other actually seemed genuinely choked up which surprised Odagiri more than anything.

“It’s not your fault. It’s not like you were there and could have prevented this from happening.” He reasoned as the man snorted.

“Didn’t you know I’m actually a time traveler, I could go back in time and undo the events of that day if I wanted to.” He jested as Odagiri’s manipulated his face into one of amusement. One that his character Ran would make easily.

“If time travel existed I don’t think we would exist. I think humans would have died off long, long ago if we could manipulate time.” Toru blinked and then howled in laughter, wiping a few tears from his eyes. “I knew it! As soon as I saw you I pegged you for a funny guy. Glad to know my assumptions were right.” Odagiri then remembered the man had thrown his jacket over him. He was about to hand it back when the male shook his head.

“Keep it. You can thank me later when I’m in need of a friend to take me to my apartment next door since I’m unable to walk properly.” Odagiri groaned at that.

“Another one who can’t hold their alcohol properly? And I thought Chinese were supposed to be better about holding there’s.” He teased as Toru’s eyes turned dangerous.

“Oh? You want to test that theory?”

An hour later and five rounds of shots Toru was on the counter top table, his face pressed into the surface like it was cooling off a fire on his cheeks.

“How’re you still so c-cohippo.” Odagiri forced out a laugh. Toru didn’t know this but he had in fact not inhaled a single drop of the liquids passed to him. Hidden inside his sleeve was a straw device which led to a large pouch hidden underneath his clothing to store the liquids until Odagiri could properly dispose of it later without leaving evidence.

“I think the word you’re looking for is coherent. I’m not drunk because that’s not enough for me to even get drunk,” he threw money onto the bar counter top before helping Toru to his feet, “next time you’re not drinking this much and I won’t have to carry your sorry ass home.” Toru chuckled too much at that, flopping against Odagiri as he hoofed him up, slinging one of Toru’s arms around his neck to keep him steady.

“Fraaaaannn!” Toru whined which had Odagiri laughing as they moved toward the door.

“Oh boy, he’s forgotten my name already.” Toru gave him a large pout, looking down at the carpet that turned to pavement, deep in thought.

“Ran! Your name is Ran! Hahaha!” He laughed hysterically as Odagiri pulled him into the apartment’s main lobby. He then pressed the up arrow for the caged elevator to come down and get them.

“Do you frequent the silver dragon often Toru?” Since they were now alone it was the perfect time for Odagiri to pull information from the man. Coherent or not, it was best to extract information when your target was intoxicated. Odagiri knew that all too well.

_“Odagiri are you drunk again?” Miyoshi’s amused voice rang out as Odagiri shook his head from his spot on the table top._

_“I’m sure. Now, tell me what is with you and Fukumoto? Were you two friends before joining the agency? Brothers?” Odagiri snorted, covering his mouth after he did so, shaking his head._

_“You two get along the most, it’s quite suspicious that you just became friends here at the agency and now get along really well. So you must be related.” Miyoshi’s unrelenting questioning was starting to grate on Odagiri’s nerves._

_“What if he is?” Odagiri picked his head up off the table to stare a hole in the smug Miyoshi who stood opposite the table from him._

_"Then you've lied to us all and you must be praised but I doubt that's it. He's an uncle of yours." Odagiri shook his head. "Pet dog?" Odagiri rolled his eyes. “Are you sure he’s not your brother? Cousin? Some distant relative?” That was the last straw._

_“FOR_ _CRYING OUT LORD_ _MIYOSHI! HE ISN’T RELATED TO ME AT ALL, WE’RE FRIENDS. ONLY FRIENDS!” He yelled as Miyoshi smirked. Realizing his mistake Odagiri reeled, he had just played right into the sly spies’ hand._

_“Thank you for answering my question and so qucikly too.” With a smirk, flip of his hair and a stride much to elegant for an evil man the brunet was gone, leaving Odagiri even more pissed off then when he had started drinking._

This was also why Odagiri refused to drink anything. He knew how low his alcohol tolerance was, he knew how easily he could be taken advantage of, even more so now that he was alone.

“Most days, why?” Toru tilted his head to the other side, almost slipping out of Odagiri’s hold since the ex-lieutenants' arm had gone lax with his thoughts.

“I’m just curious if anything weird happens there. I mean it is a famous bar yet there is no word of scandal there except the one recently, why?” That had Toru chuckling darkly.

“Because no one lives who stirs up trouble, they take them away through a black metal door in the back and then do baddity, bad things~” He hiccupped, eyes falling closed. “M' tired.”

“Yes, yes we’ll be at your room shortly.” He promised, filing away that nugget of information for later use.

Thank you Toru.

“Yay room!” Toru cheered before going limp in Odagiri's hold. A quick shake and call of his friends name revealed he was out cold, thus leaving Odagiri to carry his rather heavy new friend to his room.

Odagiri placed Toru on his bed after he had went through the trouble of unlocking his friend’s apartment with the key he was given, with said friend still in his hold, that was a challenge all in itself.

The apartment was small from what Odagiri could tell with a quick sweep with his eyes, there was no upstairs thankfully there was just a door to his right leading to the others room which was located close to the front door.

Wasting no time Odagiri turned heel and fleed from the apartment when he was sure Toru wouldn’t awaken. He needed to get back home to go over this new information, quickly but not too quick. He didn't want to looks suspicious so he kept up a pace that was calculated as he strode to the elevator, out the doors and then past the silver dragon, the only difference from the bright, loud establishment was now it was quite and dark. The neon lights no longer plaguing the air like a bad cancer.

With one last look at the magnificent dragon carving, Odagiri walked away into the night.

-

**:Elsewhere:**

“Boss you’ve been watching that monitor all night long, I thought you hated surveillance duty.” A man with his hair tied back into a loose ponytail spoke as he walked into the room with two bags, a large scar covered both his eyes that closed for a moment as the man shrouded in darkness smirked.

“Oh I do, but this one is an interesting catch. Don’t you think?” He turned the monitor to his cohort who eyed the man with a raised brow.

“He looks completely ordinary sir and not even Chinese, are you sure he’s someone of interest to you?” The boss chuckled.

“He’s very interesting because he is my type, small but not at the same time, shifty, non-trusting, cold.” The boss smirked more. “Yes I think I’ll keep my eyes on this little mouse if he decides to return. Make sure every knows not to touch him, I want to wrap this man around my finger, this Ran Akabane.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who is this mystery man in the video room? Huehehe you'll find out soon enough, but for now I'll leave you at the edge of your seats~! Thanks to everyone who read, gave kudos and commented on the first chapter! I'm glad people are as excited to see Odagiri be a spy as I am! c:


	3. Old Wounds Reopened Anew

Odagiri always found trust to be an amusing thing. The variation between person to person was always phenomenal. It was no surprise that he was amused watching Toru run his mouth about how much of an amazing person Odagiri was, and how he was truly thankful he had met him.

To Toru, Odagiri had his full trust. But to Odagiri, Toru had none of his, he hardly knew the man and his suspicions and spy training had his walls up, this man was not to be trusted until proven otherwise, who knew if he’d already been found out or not. Since this was his first ever undercover mission he had nothing to compare it to, he was literally walking in blind.

And that thought terrified him. But it also excited him, this was his first mission, _His_ , no D-agency, no back-up, just his knack and skill alone.

Although he was mentally figuring out a way to escape the other male his outer persona spoke in a slightly irritated manor. “Toru, please slow down, it’s too early for such rapid speech.” And it truly was, Odagiri had been awoken that morning by his lovely neighbours _again_ , so he decided to hit the city streets before the heat became too much.

He honestly had just been meandering in one of the shops when Toru had spotted him and dragged him into this small café for some coffee. Which Odagiri was grateful for since his coffee maker had broken on him that morning. Which also reminded him he needed to go and pick up a new one later.

“Sorry, sorry. I’m just so excited to know someone who’s actually a decent human being.” He stated rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

“I wouldn’t say I’m a decent human being, more so just an honest one, that and I’m trying to settle down here.” He admitted because unlike himself Ran was not so tight lipped with information about himself.

“Oh ho?” That seemed to catch Toru’s interest as he was suddenly a lot closer to Odagiri then he would care for. “So, how do you like them? Big? Small? Cute? Fiesty? Give me something to go on here man!” In all honesty Odagiri hadn’t given much thought to the type of women Ran would be into but it wasn’t hard to come up with one on the fly.

Odagiri just spouted out the type that was completely the opposite of what he was actually attracted to, because during this mission any type of distraction was unacceptable, he wouldn’t fall under anyone’s spell or charm, be they women or men. He refused to get tangled up into anything here that would jeopardize his position. Especially since emotions were something he was never able to master, he would fall, easily depending on the person and the worst thing was he wouldn’t be able to lie to them because Odagiri wasn’t that type of man, lying, cheating, being deceitful, that wasn’t what a relationship was all about.

The ideal relationship for Odagiri was one of mutual trust, understanding and love. He had, had that once, until he decided chasing after a ghost of the woman who raised him was a better idea.

He had never found that women and it didn’t help that he was re-stationed after a few weeks. So in the end all of that was for not and he allowed himself to lose something precious once again.

“My type?” Odagiri pretended to mull that over for a moment. “Well she has to be short, have long hair preferably blonde and is honest? I guess?” Toru laughed at that.

“Well I don’t know how many blondes you’ll find here in Shanghai but if you want a brunette or a woman with black hair I’m sure we can scrounge up something.” He smirked almost too happily and Odagiri found himself unnerved, not to mention he was _not_ going to look for a woman with dark hair, it was too close to his type. The risk would be high if Toru set him up with a woman like that.

Deciding that was the last straw and he no longer wanted to be with Toru lest he find out what he truly was looking for, what he truly desired. What was buried deep down within his heart.

“I have to excuse myself however Toru, today is a busy one and I should start looking for at least a place of my own or even a part-time job.” Toru seemed to accept that excuse, standing from his stool.

“Well thanks for sharing a cup with me, but I agree, I should be off, the office is not going to run itself.” He smiled, patting Odagiri’s shoulder as he walked past. “Later!”

Odagiri made sure to watch him as he walked away, and when he was a safe distance away Odagiri turned and walked the opposite direction.

Toru would be trouble, it would probably be best to try and not cross paths with that man any more than necessary. Odagiri was weary to say the least, who came up to someone in a bar and then got drunk like that?

If not only to get Odagiri to drop his guard then at least he was trying to make a move to befriend him, he was dangerous.

While he was deep in thought Odagiri hadn’t noticed the male carrying several large boxes walking his way, and with his vision obstructed he didn’t see Odagiri until said boxes were crashing down on top of him.

Now in a messy heap Odagiri was seconds away from apologizing profusely when he noticed more _who_ it was then what it was.

He’d recognize those pair of brown, doe eyes anywhere, although they were no longer drooped and the glasses that framed his face made it even harder to distinguish eye colour without looking closely.

Realization donned on the smaller spies face as he instantly clapped a hand over Odagiri’s opened mouth. “Not here.” He hissed softly so only the two of them could hear. “Oh clumsy me, I’m so sorry.” He apologized sweetly, helping Odagiri to his feet, brushing off his vest.

“There’s no need to apologize, I should have been paying attention to where I was going. Here, let me help you with these.” He offered, which got a rare, actual smile pulled from Hatano.

“Ah, thank you. They are rather heavy.” A blatent lie. Hatano could carry three times if not four times his weight, he was strong, almost scarily so. Odagiri honestly felt bad for Fukumoto when he had been paired up to spar with Hatano and had almost immediately made friends with the floor when Hatano threw him down like he weighed nothing at all.

“Any time.” Odagiri picked up the light boxes, two of them to be precise as he followed his ex-spy comrade to what looked like a dojo? Once they were inside and the door had been closed behind him Hatano was instantly in his face.

“Why are you here?” His eyes spoke volumes of the things he would do to Odagiri if he so much as lied to him, besides it was Hatano, Odagiri doubted he was with the enemy because he was still with D-agency right?

The truth then.

“I am assigned to an undercover mission here in Shanghai that is all I can tell you without compromising myself.” He stated professionally, Hatano seemed to search his eyes for a moment before pulling away.

“Well why didn’t you say so in the first place?”

“You were threatening to kill me.”

“It was a rhetorical question.” Odagiri was really glad to see the kid hadn’t lost his attitude.

“Why are you here in Shanghai?” It was puzzling, although he didn’t know where any of the spies ended up he didn’t figure Hatano for the Shanghai type. He was a language buff so he would be more suited for France? America? England?

“Follow me.” Hatano led them into a small connector, then up a small flight of stairs into what seemed like his bedroom, the small spy rolled his door shut behind them, sitting criss-cross on the tatami mat, gesturing for Odagiri to do the same.

Odagiri followed suit, getting comfortable on the floor since he figured a story was about to be laid out in front of him.

 A long one judging by Hatano’s posture.

“I’m not here because I want to be, I’m here because I made a mistake and can’t return to D-agency,” well that shocked Odagiri, Hatano was a more then capable spy and he figured he was a shoe in as Yuuki’s successor, so what happened? What changed? “it started three years ago..”

-

_Hatano chucked the file folder down onto the table, smirking at Yuuki._

_“This is it? Really? Childs play.” He grinned triumphantly, letting his hands slide behind his head, his gesture to tell any onlookers that he was completely relaxed and knew he would come out on top._

_“I wouldn’t necessarily call this child’s play Hatano. This is a test of mettle I’m assuming this is what you wanted after your France fiasco.”_

_That was such a low blow! Stupid Yuuki, so he had been hit in the head twice and lost his memory, what was he supposed to do about that? It had all worked out in the end hadn’t it? Hatano just assumed that Yuuki liked to tease him for it as a taste of his own medicine._

_“Yeah, yeah France. But seriously this is like a baby mission. It’s even easier than swimming in the ocean in December at night.” He scoffed, seriously thinking Yuuki was treating him as a child, Which he wasn’t despite his looks and short stature._

_“We shall see if it is indeed easier than swimming in the ocean in December at night.”_

-

“I came to Shanghai with one goal, and that goal is actually your dear friend Fukumoto.” Fukumoto was here in Shanghai? And he had betrayed D-agency or defected from it? Not that he had room to talk, he may have resigned but it was just a fancy way of saying defected. He was surprised though, out of all the spies Fukumoto was the last one he thought would betray. His mouth suddenly felt very dry.

“He was upset and ran after Miyoshi’s death, Yuuki assumed it was for some breathing room and clarity, a way to refresh himself. But after three months of no word from him we got worried. More so from the fact we may die because Kaminaga had assumed control of meals.” Odagiri hid a smile at that Kaminaga was a terrible cook, perhaps the worst one of the bunch.

“Anyway, I came here thinking this would be cake, I would find Fukumoto and we’d walk out of here with actual cake as we travelled back to the agency,” a grim look crossed Hatano’s face as he seemed to remember something unpleasant, “he was angry. The angriest I’d ever seen Fukumoto before, apparently he had assumed some sort of leader type role in a gang his followers literally worshiped the ground he walked on, like he was a god or something.”

That didn’t sound like Fukumoto at all.

“I tried to coax him back to the agency, saying things like we miss him, because we did and we could help him heal properly if he returned. Apparently that was the wrong thing to say because he restrained me and then knocked me out cold,” his eyes turned dull at this point, “I was tortured, even more so then when we were in the agency. It was horrible, I’d never been in so much pain…I….”

Now Odagiri had never once seen Hatano cry, he’d seen others cry because of Hatano but never had he ever seen so much emotion spring to his face as tears welled up in his eyes.

Before he could stop himself Odagiri pulled him into a hug. Comfort, it was something everyone subconsciously needed when they were sad, when they relived a trauma they wanted to forget. Odagiri had learned that very lesson from the man who had tortured his friend, his ally.

As Odagiri held the sobbing Hatano, his hand slowly rubbing the spies back, he got to thinking. What had made Fukumoto snap like that? He knew Miyoshi’s death had some part to it but he knew Fukumoto wouldn’t just go off the deep end because of that, there was something more, and Odagiri really did want to get to the bottom of it, and more over he wanted to help heal his friend. Right after he gave him a good smack to the face for hurting Hatano like this.

Although he and the other spy never really saw eye to eye Odagiri knew he wasn’t a bad person, Hatano just liked attention and he liked to act out, he was rambunctious and fearless, but that could be chalked up to his age as well. Being the youngest spy in the agency couldn’t have been too easy.

“I-I messed up…I-I couldn’t…I..” He hiccupped a couple of times as more tears flowed.

“Shh, it’s alright, I don’t think you messed up. Actually you didn’t mess up at all because knowing you, I know you would try everything and anything to get him to come back because that was your mission.” Hatano buried his face in Odagiri’s vest. He’d have to buy a new one in the morning, but that didn’t matter, what mattered was comforting his friend.

“I’m just sorry no one was here to help you heal after that experience, but if you want, I don’t mind being the one to help.” Hatano’s eyes appeared much too quickly for Odagiri to like, his eyes were blown wide and tears were streaking down his face, Odagiri’s heart ached.

He suddenly felt like a father who was worried and concerned for his son.

“I would like that.” He whispered giving Odagiri a half smile, although that smile never reached his eyes as Odagiri pulled Hatano toward him again.

-

Later on he and Hatano sat in Hatano’s small kitchenette enjoying a cup of tea each.

Hatano had cried for quite some time, after that. Not that Odagiri blamed him. They had been through torture before at the hands of Yuuki but Odagiri figured the type of torture Fukumoto subject Hatano to was not as forgiving as the one they had done.

“Why have you not returned to D-agency?” It was a question constantly on the tip of Odagiri’s tongue but he didn’t want to say it when Hatano was so distraught, which is why he decided now was a good time to bring it up.

“How can I return? I failed a mission. There’s no going back to them, if you fail you’re as good as dead.” It was like someone had drilled this into Hatano’s head and Odagiri instantly felt angry toward whoever thought telling someone as young as Hatano this was a good idea, especially when the younger was so impressionable.

“Has the lieutenant colonel ever said those words directly to you?” If that was the case and Yuuki had never said that to Hatano then the other could return back to D-agency with everyone, well not quite everyone.

 “No…” Odagiri sighed softly at that answer, half in relief and half in anger at whoever had drilled that silly notion into his head.

“Then there you have it, he’s never said that to you so why do you have it in your mind that you can’t go back?” Odagiri offered looking at Hatano seriously. Hatano gave an exasperated expression before his lips thinned his mind seemingly pulling him back somewhere else.

“My father.” He spoke softly, almost too much so that Odagiri almost missed it but thanks to training he caught it.

“Your father?” I t was no secret in the agency that any disclosure of personal information got you terminated, they had seen it with one spy who tested his luck on such matters, by the next day his sheets were folded at the end of the bed and it was like he never existed.

Yuuki was not one to be tested or messed with.

Hatano nodded sheepishly, mouth opening but then closing as he tried to form proper words.

“It’s alright if you can’t speak about this now, I understand.” Although he really didn’t understand he just assumed. Assumed that Hatano’s father hadn’t been a good man, he could see the terror reflected in Hatano’s eyes.

“I want to.” He looked to Odagiri with such determination that if it was anyone else he would have been taken aback by it. But since it was Hatano and he had grasped that the younger was always seeking and wanting more power, he knew this determined look well. Odagiri had seen it when he failed a range test with his gun and Jitsui would help him with late night drills to help him improve.

Determination is what raced through Hatano’s veins. It was an admirable trait really.

“My father used to beat on me when I was younger, my mother died young and that caused him to spiral out of control. He drank through the day and into the night, he lost his job and then he lost his patience with me. If a neighbour hadn’t have heard all the screaming and glass breaking and called the police…I would have been dead.” The smile didn’t reach Hatano’s eyes as Odagiri just sat there in silence for a moment, letting that information soak in.

“I’m so sorry.” There wasn’t more to say, he couldn’t change the past as much as he wanted to, Hatano may be annoying and a little rough around the edges but he was a good man. He didn’t deserve to have a past such as that. Although Odagiri’s own past was one riddled in thorns he knew Hatano’s was double so.

“At least my foster parents were nice. They really liked to see me smile when they’d bring home a container of cookies.” His smile was back full force as if the memories of his father plagued him no more. But Odagiri knew better, wounds like that never truly healed.

“Yes, at least there is that. I’m glad you found a warm place.” A memory of Odagiri’s own warm place flooded him for a moment but he quickly pushed them aside, locking them back tight in the deepest recesses of his mind. For him there was no warm place. That had died along with his title of spy and everything that ran along with it, including the alias ‘Odagiri’.

“Thank you Odagiri.” It was again a whisper but so sincere that Odagiri couldn’t help but smile.

“Tobisaki.” He corrected as wide eyes turned up at him, the look of pure confusion ran through Hatano as he seemed stunned by Odagiri reveling to him his true name.

“Tobisaki.” He repeated, looking down at the mat and then back at Odagiri. Then back down at the mat again. His mind seeming to process the information at a slower rate than usual, Odagiri was unable to decipher why.

“It’s a nice name, it suits you.” He finally answered eyes not leaving the mat as if embarrassed by stating this. Odagiri however was relieved that the other hadn’t instantly poked fun at his name, maybe he had become a changed man since he had been away from D-agency for all those years.

“I wish I could tell you mine but I’ve forgotten…all these years away and my students calling me Hatano sensei, I forgot I even had a name that had been connected to family ties.” He chuckled, running a hand through his hair.

 His eyes when they turned back to Odagiri were fierce.

“But there is something I can do to help you.” It was like they were finally getting to the meat of why Hatano had brought him here in the first place.

“And what is that?” Odagiri was honestly curious what the other could provide other than brute strength and his knowledge of going undercover.

“I want to help you on your mission.” This was unexpected and as such the expression Odagiri undoubtedly wore spurred Hatano into a fit of laughter. His mood and tone of earlier completely disappeared now and in its place stood the Hatano Odagiri remembered.

Hatano doubled over on the floor and was literally rolling around, his hands on his stomach as he couldn’t seem to stop himself from laughing.

“It wasn’t that funny of an expression.” He huffed seeming to sober Hatano up, instantly the other was up, clutching Odagiri’s hands in his own.

“Oh but it was, but forget that for now. You need my help. Let’s face it, your disguise sucks and,” he wrinkled his nose in distaste, “you reek of amateur.” Odagiri gave Hatano a displeased look one he was used to back at the agency, pulling away his hands from the others grasp. “I’ve missed that look. Now say yes before I make you say it.” And with the way Hatano looked at him Odagiri knew he was serious.

Oh well. What did he have to lose?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY FOR THIS ALMOST MONTH LATER CHAPTER. I was really struggling with writers block and this fic just wouldn't come together how I wanted it to. But /finally/ today the block disappeared and I was able to finish ;u;  
> Anyway anyone surprised by the new face? Haha, I've always wanted to see Hatano and Odagiri try to work together. So this should be interesting to say the least xD  
> Thanks for reading and I hope to get the next chapter out faster than this one! ^^

**Author's Note:**

> I just want more spy Odagiri. That's all I want in life. He needs to redeem himself after his episode 12 blunder! I especially need an undercover Odagiri because I have the feeling he'd be good at playing out disguises like Fukumoto. Not as good as the D-agency mom but he's going to try!  
> Thanks for reading, I hope you all are patiently awaiting chapter 2! c:


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